1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to electrical power and communications connections and wiring within buildings. More specifically, the present invention relates to apparatuses and methods for efficiently integrating and managing such connections for cost effective wiring installation and future flexibility.
In one aspect, the invention relates to workstations, here defined as desks, work surfaces, and the like, at which a person utilizes various equipment and devices during the course of the work day. The invention relates to work stations at which the various equipment and devices require connection to power, signal, data, communication lines and the like. Specifically, the invention relates to means and method whereby workstations may be readily pre-wired to accommodate the various line connections required by a wide variety of equipment and devices anticipated to be used at the workstation. The invention is intended for use with buildings and workstations of various designs, styles and manufacture.
2. Prior Art
The modern office has a wide assortment of connectivity or wiring circuits in equipping employee work areas. AC electrical power, telephone voice communication, low speed data communication between computer terminals and central computers, and high speed local area network (LAN) data communication represent a few of the most common connectivity needs of employee work areas. In addition, many work areas use multiple voice circuits to support multiple phone lines, facsimile machines, modems, and the like. Often, multiple data lines communicate computer data to printers, plotters, remote input devices, and the like. Increasingly, work areas access fiber optic, broadband LAN, and video communication links.
Conventionally, the management of all these connectivity needs has been performed in an extremely make-shift, haphazard, and inefficient manner. As a result, work area connectivity has become extremely expensive, for both original wiring installation and later-occurring changes. For example, buildings often use independent systems to distribute power, voice, and data, LAN, and video. This leads to a costly duplication in materials and labor. In addition, it leads to a costly lack of organization in overall building connectivity.
In addition, buildings often utilize connectivity systems which rely heavily upon on-site, hard-wired connections. Hard-wired connections require each end of a wire to be prepared. Such preparations typically involve removing insulation, dressing wire ends, identifying individual wires, applying terminators, attaching wires, applying strain reliefs, and the like. The attaching of a wire may be to another wire, a connection block, terminal, or the like. Accordingly, such hard-wired connections must be patiently and painstakingly performed by highly skilled, and expensive, personnel. Moreover, after wiring preparations, such highly skilled personnel must test and occasionally trouble-shoot a network of such wires. As a result, costs associated with the installation of conventional connectivity systems often reach astronomical proportions.
The modern office also changes in its physical environment at an increasing pace. These changes in the physical environment impose frequent changes in work area connectivity. However, conventional connectivity systems are extremely inflexible. Hard-wired connections again require the services of highly skilled personnel to make necessary changes. Often times, such personnel are not available when needed, and entire schedules suffer as a result. When buildings employ separate connectivity systems for power, voice communication, data communication, LAN communication, video communication, and the like, the overall connectivity structure becomes extremely unorganized. False floors, ceilings, and wiring raceways, often resemble a "rat's nest" of cabling. Accordingly, minor connectivity changes often turn into extremely complicated and time consuming procedures due to this disorganization. Often, connectivity system changes are more efficiently implemented by entirely scrapping a prior system and installing an entirely new connectivity system when only moderate changes are imposed in a physical environment.
The prior art describes a few devices which address connectivity problems in the modern office. However, most of such devices address minor portions of the overall problem, and therefore fail to significantly reduce connectivity costs or to increase connectivity flexibility. For example, various manufacturers supply breakout boxes, connectors, raceways, ducts, and the like which serve as modular components that a designer may couple together to implement a connectivity system. However, such modular components fail to address the integration of various connectivity systems and the overall end-to-end connectivity problem. Accordingly, the use of such components provides little help in significantly reducing installation costs or in improving flexibility.
Similarly, some prior art devices serve as specifically and uniquely designed employee workstations. Such workstations are generally undesirable because they severely limit furniture selections. For example, the available selections are often very expensive and fail to meet aesthetic requirements. Of course, such furniture addresses connectivity problems only at one end of the connections and fails to address overall end-to-end connectivity.
With respect to such workstations, a person is often assigned a workstation which is pristine: clear and uncluttered. A family picture, a plant, perhaps a child-made pencil holder brings a sense of belonging to the occupant of the workstation. The work surface has a personal touch and there is still an uncluttered air of efficiency remaining. Next is added a telephone, a computer terminal or personal computer, a printer/typewriter, optical data reader/writer, or maybe an oscilloscope and other test equipment. The arrangement of a variety of pieces of equipment and devices on the work surface may be functionally efficient yet the disorder produced by the concomitant clutter of power cords, signal and data lines, etc. destroys all appearance of efficiency.
Worse--because of the potential danger of tripping--is the cascade of wires and cables which flows from the work surface, to and across the floor, seeking a convenience outlet or a signal-or data-source/receptor connector.
Wilson et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 4,654,756 disclose a work surface with a power and communication module attached. The disclosure requires the use of a specialized work surface having a door closure access opening in its top to provide cable access from atop the work surface to the module attached below the work surface. Maintaining the door clear limited the useful area of the work surface. Conversely, equipment placed atop the door had to be moved each time access to the module was desired. The module itself, and the connectors thereon, were not otherwise accessible except through said door.
The Wilson et al. module was of a size as to offer potential hazard to the knees of a person seated at the work surface. Further, the disclosure made no provision for management of wires and cables running between the work surface module and areas remote from the work surface other than providing some storage for excess lengths of cable.